


Snowflakes and a Butterfly

by VerborgenImSchatten



Category: Guardians of Childhood - William Joyce, Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Atlantis, Horror, Jack has a different past, Jökull is a father, M/M, MiM isn't that nice nor is he evil, References to Norse Mythology, Wendigo, jack's name is Jökull, or I might be the only one afraid of my own fanfiction, space travel (later in the story)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-17
Updated: 2014-03-01
Packaged: 2017-12-20 12:08:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/887095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VerborgenImSchatten/pseuds/VerborgenImSchatten
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Takes place after Pitch breaks his staff and left him. Tooth never had his memories and he had been someone else before he died. a very long time ago. longer than 300 years</p><p>It is a journey to find family and things you didn't even search for... like love</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Snowflakes and a Butterfly: Prologue

Everything was dark and he just floated in ice cold water. There was no moon shining above him to sooth him, but that was okay, because he was not afraid.

Slowly he swam to the surface. The first thing he noticed was that there was no ice. The second that this wasn't the lake in which he drowned and died. As he looked around he could see only a single tree. The woods were gone and the shore was filled with flowers he had never seen in his life before.

 

Jack swam toward the lone tree and saw three women sitting beneath it all of them spinning threads. One of them looked up and smiled at him once he got out of the water. She was young unlike the other two. She was blonde and wore a creamy summer dress. The second one was mature wearing a red dress which was richly adorned with golden embroideries and a laurel coronal sat on top of her brown hair. The oldest one wore a dark gray dress. Her hair had gone gray and one could only guess what that it had been black before. All of them had an aura of wisdom, but they could be human for what they look like.

 

The youngest woman began to speak: "I am Urd. I know what you want to know."

The woman in the red dress began speaking and Jack looked over to her: "I am Verdandi. Please tell me what you know right now."

 

Jack looked over to the third woman, but she remained silent. So he started speaking unsure of what to say: "Well, I'm Jack Frost the winter spirit. What exactly do you want to know?"

 

The first woman, Urd, laughed, but it sounded wrong.

"So _that_ is what he told you? That you are a mere winter spirit? And he could not even come up with a name on his own. Used one so similar."

"Yes, it is a shame", Verdandi said to Urd before looking at Jack again.

"Your name is not Jack Frost."

 

Jack thought he might have went mad. What kind of dream is this? It couldn't be anything else, because he _knew_ he was in Antarctica staff broken and all. Who were these women to talk to him like that?

 

Before he could even voice one of his thoughts Urd continued to speak: "I cannot tell you everything about your past, but breaking this foul staff of his was the first step."

 

By now Jack was raging. He had to feel the pain of his staff being broken and they dare to tell him it was a good thing?

 

"What are you even talking about? This staff belongs to me. It helps me. I need it. Without it I could never be as strong as I am! Who are you?!"

 

The third woman looked up at him like she noticed him for the first time. Something about her was even more off than with the other two. As she began to speak she seemed like a being that was never human. She spoke in a language so old he is sure nobody speaks it any more. But Jack understood it... perfectly

 

" _Thence come maidens_

_much knowing_

_three from the hall_

_which under that tree stands;_

_Urd hight the one,_

_the second Verdandi,_

_on a tablet they graved,_

_Skuld the third;_

_Laws they established,_

_life allotted_

_to the sons of men,_

_destinies pronounced._ "

 

"We are Norns. Urd is the past. Verdandi the present. Skuld the future. One could say we organise the destinies of mankind and gods." Urd explained.

 

Jack just stares at her for a few minutes and she stares back. He feels like he is drowning in those eyes. They are so deep and he feels like they know _everything._

 

"And what do you want from me?"

 

His voice was barley a whisper now, because he feels like he should respect those beings, Norns, more.

Verdandi started to speak again: "Once you were somebody else, way older than mere 300 years ago. You died and the moon took you away from your destiny. Made you one of his little toys."

 

She sounded like she really hated the moon.

 

"The staff he gave you does nothing more than to subdue your true power and memories. Once it was broken we were able to contact you again. The moon tries to trick you even now. The teeth you got from the Nightmare King aren't yours. The moon even used his own enemy to keep you under control. But one cannot control their enemy. The moon did not know that the Nightmare King will break your staff."

 

Jack could only stare at them to shocked to speak. What if they said the truth?  
  
Verdandis voice sounded far off to him and he forced himself to concentrate. He could panic later.

 

"We cannot tell you about your past, you have to do it on your own in order to regain all of it. But I can give you a few tips for your present. First of all toss that staff away. It blocks your powers and memories like I already said. But there is more than that. It hinders you to hear the voices of those close to you - the voices of your family."  
  
His... family?

 

"Secondly I can tell you your name. If you want to know it."  
  
He looked confused now. He lived 300 years with that name of his after all. Did he really want to change it? Who was he if not Jack Frost? But what if it could help him find the family he so longed for?

He wasn't sure if it was the right thing, but he nodded, too confused from the questions in his mind.

Urd came to him and led him towards the lake. There on the surface he could see his own reflection.

 

It was different.

Next to the blonde woman stood a man, maybe in his twenties. His hair was slightly longer and he wore a bright blue fabric top adorned with white embroideries. He didn't get a better look in the disturbed water surface.

 

What Urd said next took him by surprise:

 

" _Jökull Frosti_ "

 

He awoke with a gasp.


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thank you to my lovely beta reader http://ruler-of-the-ghost-zone.tumblr.com/ and to everyone following the story or wrote a review. It makes me so happy :D

He awoke with a gasp. The first thing he noticed was that his head hurt, he faintly remembered hitting it on the ice as Pitch had thrown him down the small chasm. As he opened his eyes the only thing he could see was ice. It was all around him - he felt trapped.

His thoughts wandered off to the strange dream and the Norns telling him his name and that he had a family. He wondered if they could still be alive after 300 years...

A small noise next to him brought him back to reality. Baby Tooth was lying on the floor passed out.

"Oh no," he whispered and cupped her softly within his hands.

The little Tooth Fairy sneezed and opened her eyes.

"I'm so sorry Baby Tooth. I can only keep you cold."

She looked up at him with her differently coloured eyes, one as blue as his and the other just like Toothiana. What he saw in her eyes was understanding. She wasn't angered because he was cold and he felt relieved.

Baby Tooth crawled into the pocked of his hoody and just then he noticed something strange. His hoody had been a bit too large before and now it fitted him perfectly. If he were a bit more muscular it would be too small for him. Also his trousers felt way too tight and he could see tiny flaws in the material. This was really weird, but could this mean that his dream hadn't just been that? A dream and nothing more? Or had it been reality?

"Hey, do I look different than before?" he asked Baby Tooth.

She looked out of his pocked and nodded. She didn't seem to have a problem with it though.

So it had been more than just a dream. His appearance had changed. But what about all the other things. His name?

"Jack or Jökull?" he asked no one in particular and his only answer was the puzzled look Baby Tooth gave him.

The name Jökull sounded more familiar than Jack. He had lived with that name for 300 years, but after hearing the other from the Norns and now in his own voice he liked Jökull better. The name itself felt colder. He could picture snow, ice and glaciers more easily than with a simple Jack.

"Baby Tooth I think my real name could be Jökull Frosti!" he laughed.

  
He felt so at ease! It was wonderful.

"You know, I had a dream. There were three women that told me a lot of stuff. They told me that these", he took the tooth box out, "aren't mine. Is there any way you could proof this?"

The little fairy in question came fully out of his pocket and laid a tiny hand on the tooth box. She seemed to concentrate, but nothing happened. She looked at him apologetically and shook her head.

"It's ok. It isn't your fault", Jökull sighed, "But that means that the women were right."

  
He looked at his staff. If it truly didn't belong to him than he should be able to conjure his magic without his help.

"We need to get out of here. Who knows how long we could be trapped in here."

He faintly wondered why Pitch left him here. He couldn't die, so what was the point in tossing him away? To come back later and then what?

Jökull didn't want to think about it right now and started brainstorming a way out.

The wind couldn't reach him down here so he had to get out on his own. He took a step forward and touched the could surface of the walls. They were smooth and slippery, there was no way to climb them without help.

He turned around and picked the tooth box up and shoved it back into his pocket.

"Come, we will get out of here."

He offered Baby Tooth a hand and she gladly used it to climb on his shoulder. As she was nuzzling into the fabric of his hoody he realised how cold it must be for her. She was used to live in a warm palace in eternal summer. Just because he didn't feel the cold didn't mean others couldn't.

Lastly he picked up the pieces of his broken staff. The edges were the two parts belonged together were pretty sharp.

Jökull inhaled deeply and tried to use them as ice picks. They stuck in the ice and he heaved himself up. Now he had the problem that he needed one of them again to get up higher. As he tried to balance his weight one part of his staff got loose and he fell to the ground again.

"Damn it!"

He was frustrated, he just wanted out! In an attempted to find an outlet for his frustration he struck the wall with his hand, not quite a fist.

He was taken aback by the scratches in the ice. Had he done that?

He looked at his hand and noticed that his nails were frozen into something like claws.

  
"That never happened before", he whispered while Baby Tooth looked at his hand a little bit worried.

It could help him, but it needed to be more than just one hand.

Jökull closed his eyes and concentrated on the frustration again. He was frustrated with being locked away to rot in his own element and he couldn't get out! The next thing he felt was the anger of being lied to. The moon who tries to manipulate him. The Norns that seem to know more and withheld the truth from him. And Pitch. Who tried to use his loneliness. Who couldn't handle being rejected and acted like a diva. Who hurt Baby Tooth...

As he opened his eyes all of his nails were frozen over, both hands and feet. He looked up into the light and a small chuckle escaped his lips. He could be free. Out of his little prison and he could find a way out of the thing the man in the moon did. He could become a neutral party again and find his family.

Encouraged he began to climb the wall with ease. It didn't matter if it was frozen solid, his ice was stronger.

As he got higher he could feel the wind again. It was brushing over his skin and he laughed. The wind seemed to talk to him... It called for him. And it called him Jökull.

The wind picked him up and took him high into the air again. Jökull could feel a happiness that wasn't his own.

_"It hinders you to hear the voices of those close to you - the voices of your family"_

Jökull wondered if that was what the Norns had meant and listened closer. He couldn't really make out a voice in the sound of the wind, but he felt that it was glad to have him back and that he was safe.

And this made him happy.

It made him happy to know that there was somebody who missed him and was worried about his wellbeing.

"Thank you, my friend", he laughed while Baby Tooth just looked at him, not understanding who he was talking to, "And now I will get you back to Toothiana", he told the small fairy.

She smiled and nodded and Jökull flew off with the wind.

 

* * *

 

The wind took Jökull to Burgess. He couldn't see any trace of the Guardians.

"Baby Tooth, you sure that they are here?"

The small fairy nodded gravely. Jökull looked around until he heard a voice.

The female voice was calling for him trough the wind. Mocking him into the forest. Baby Tooth squealed worryingly as he flew off.

"It's okay Baby Tooth. I know whose voice this is."  
  
He couldn't believe she was here again. It was about 50 years ago he last saw her. But he wasn't mad at her, because he knew she had a hard job to do.

Being in charge for a whole planet full of humans who couldn't care less about her. They keep destroying her work and she has to make everything right again, at least for the animals. What humans call natural disasters is her way of trying to talk to them. But most of them don't listen to her anymore, there are just a few earth religions who still believe in her. Most humans just invent better technology against her.

Jökull had learned soon that she was kind of like his boss, but he didn't really care, because she was like a mother to him. Well what else could one expect from Mother Nature? She was a bossy one, but also caring of those spirits she considered as her children. She just had so little time...

And right now she sat in front of him in a tree - in the form of an owl. Her plumage was so dark it appeared to be black and beautiful golden eyes looked down at him as he landed on the forest floor.

"Mother!" Jökull smiled at her.

  
Baby Tooth landed on his shoulder and looked at the owl a little bit jumpy.

The owl made no sound as she opened her wings and flew off. Jökulls smile got even wider. Mother Nature knew that he liked to play and she always played games like hide and seek with him.

Baby Tooth chirped warningly at him and Jökull remembered that he was supposed to find Toothiana.

"I haven't seen her for five decades. Please Baby Tooth I'll be quick. I swear!"

With this words he departed again and went after Mother Nature.

She flew through the trees and called him, mocked him. He wasn't fast enough to catch her.

Jökull simply called for the wind and it took him even faster.

After a few minutes Mother Nature landed on the old bed frame that led to Pitchs lair. It looked like the owl dissolved into thousands of butterflies. The colourful beings flew around themselves and a beautiful young woman emerged beside the bed. Her hair was as dark as the night sky and her pale lips pulled up into a small smile.

"Jack, long time no see. You look different." Her voice sounded like a river, melodic and pure. "I have something to show you, if you could spare a few minutes."

She didn't want to know why he looked like he did. Jökull jumped a little bit as he walked towards her and she chuckled.

"What is it?" he asked all too eagerly, not noticing how she called him.

"It makes me sad what happened with the guardians."  
  
Jökull just nodded, because he knew that Mother Nature knew nearly anything.

"Well what I am about to tell you might sound strange, but I need you to go and help Pitch." She pointed at the broken bed frame. "Get down there and make sure the guardians don't kill him."

He may be a trickster but he respected Mother Nature and would do anything for her. And after Pitch had broken his staff he did discover a power he never knew before...

Jökull nodded and Mather Nature looked a bit surprised but didn't say anything.

"Hold on Baby Tooth", he warned her before he jumped down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and again I end with an cliffhanger, because I can (and I am evil)  
> oh and also this ff has a tumblr blog in case somebody wants to know when the next update will be and stuff like that ;)  
> http://snowflakes-and-a-butterfly.tumblr.com/


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry it took me so long D:
> 
> real life and stuff happened, so I decided to give you something 2000+ :)
> 
>  
> 
> again I want to thank my lovely beta http://ruler-of-the-ghost-zone.tumblr.com !!! And all of you, who commented and all the Favorites and Followers :D and all the kudos :3

It didn't take him long to find his way to the globe room, although the corridors seemed to be different from last time. A balmy breeze guided his way through the darkness.

The first thing that he noticed was wrong was the faint light coming from the room. It felt unnatural in the dark environment and Jökull wondered what was causing it. He started floating in the air, just enough to not make any noise with his steps. He was a little off-balance because he didn't have his staff, but the wind helped to steady him.

He hid behind a corner looking at the scene beneath him: Next to the globe stood Pitch looking beaten. He faced the guardians or what was left of them. The Easter Bunny looked like a little bunny instead of a kangaroo. Toothiana didn't fly and stood on the ground two sabers drawn. Norths body language was that of an old man barely lifting his own sword. Sandy was still dead...

What didn't fit the picture was the strange device North was leaning against. It looked odd. It could have been a cannon but there were a few strange things attached to it: One looked like a golden egg sitting on top of the weapon. The other was a golden tooth dangling on a chain from the handle of a golden sword pointing at Pitch. The whole thing seemed to glow from the inside and the light fled from the ornate carvings through the metal. Jökull could feel the vibrations of the device in his whole body. It had to be strong.

  
And North was going to fire it again... At Pitch...

Jökull didn't hear Baby Tooth's protest or thought about the consequences of his doing. He jumped and the wind took him right between the guardians and Pitch. He could see the surprise in Norths eyes as he tried to stop the weapon turn into confusion.

Toothiana was the first to speak: "Jack what happened to you?"

Jökull couldn't hear her as he listened to the vibrations dying down. He realised he could have been shot.

"Jack?", North asked and his expression became even more confused, "You look different."

"Don't call me that", Jökull whispered.

"What are you talking about, mate?", Bunny said with a voice unfitting for a little bunny.

"I said don't call me that", Jökull said louder, "That isn't my name."

He turned around at looked at Pitch. He looked as confused as the guardians. His body was bruised but he was still standing.

"I can't let you kill him", Jökull told the guardians.

"What? After all he has done?!", Bunny shouted.

"I have my orders", he just shrugged.

"Who?", North sounded fierce, the confusion quickly replaced with anger.

"Somebody I trust more than the henchman of the moon. Mother Nature told me to and I own her more than you guys."

He wondered a bit why he sounded that sure of himself. He still didn't understand much.

Baby Tooth chirped and Jökull remembered her.

"Here Toothiana", he took the tooth box out of his pocket, "These aren't mine."

He tossed them and it hit the floor with a soft clash in front of Toothiana.

"Impossible." Pitch sounded incredible tired and angry. "I looked everywhere for yours. These are the only one that are fitting you!"

Bunny hopped in front of North and shouted:   
  
"You traitor! You really work for Pitch. North do something! Kill them both!"

"Bunny!" Tooth screamed, but North seemed to share his idea.

"I am sorry Jack, but if the shadows corrupt you I can't do anything else to save you", he calmly spoke.

The device came back to life and Baby Tooth fled in Toothiana's arms. Realisation dawning on her face.

"Wait! He saved Baby Tooth!"

But it was too late. A searing beam of light broke free from the weapon and hit Jökull in his chest. Behind him he could hear Pitch scream in agony, but he felt nothing. The light wasn't hot or anything else. He saw it entering his body but nothing happened.

Until he turned around to face Pitch. 

He suddenly felt sick as he saw the grotesque shadows pouring out of Pitchs body. He did not only hear Pitch's screams, but the inhuman screams of thousands of shadows that tried to tear Pitch apart.

He would not survive this...

Jökull whirled around and conjured an ice wall separating the guardians from Pitch and himself.

The light reflected at the ice and blinded the guardians.

Jökull ran back to Pitch and saw in horror that the shadows had claws tearing through Pitch's skin. This couldn't be normal.

"Stop it", he screamed and began throwing icicles at them. They didn't even look at him.

Jökull stopped thinking. He heard the wind whisper into his ears:

_"You can do it, my son. Just concentrate on your instincts."_

He could feel the cold core of his power, the energy of a blizzard.

"Father" he whispered shocked as he let his power take control of him.

He couldn't see his own hand through the snow, he just saw the dark silhouette of the shadows lurking at the edge of his field of vision and concentrated on them. The wind blew so strong he couldn't hear the attack behind him as claws slashed his back. In his pain he conjured a frost lightning stronger than ever before. It hit everything. He could see more clearly as the snowfall eased and saw the shadows fleeing trough the ceiling of the cave.

Only a few snowflakes remained around him and Jökull saw the destruction he had made:  
The whole floor was iced over without a single crack in the surface. He didn't remember that he began flying mid air so he was a bit confused as he had to lower himself down to the ice again. The ice wall was still standing and the weapon had stopped to fire that ray of light. He could hear the guardians strike against the wall with their weapons and tiny cracks appeared.

A groan remembered him of Pitch.

Jökull was by his side on the floor in an instant. His bleeding had stopped thanks to the ice covering his body, but he looked different. His skin was just as pale as his and had lost its grey touch. He looked like he was sleeping.

"Pitch?", Jökull didn't dare to speak louder than a whisper. He looked so broken...

Behind them the wall came down with a loud crash and the guardians were behind them weapons drawn in seconds.

"What happened?" Toothiana gasped.

"I don't know" Jökull whispered, "I really don't know."

* * *

They were back at the North Pole a few minutes later thanks to Norths snow globes. It was a silent trip as they walked through the portal into Norths workshop. Jökull had no other option than to go with them. He couldn't flee them and leave Pitch behind and he couldn't fly with him. He was carrying Pitch which turned out to be difficult because he was smaller than him. Toothiana had started to help him once they reached the portal.

Jökull and Toothiana lied Pitch down on a chair. She smiled at Jökull and whispered:  
  
"Thank you for saving Baby Tooth."

Her smile wavered as Bunny began to curse at him.

"Bunny", she said very calm. Too calm. She sounded dangerous and imperious.

Bunny remained silent and started sulking. North looked at Toothiana and to Jökull, Toothiana nodded in silent agreement.

"Jack", she began to speak motherly to him, "What was all of that about?"

Jökull sighed:

"Ok, first, my name is JökullFrosti. Please stop calling me Jack."

Everyone looked confused but remained silent.

"Mother Nature wanted me to save Pitch from you guys killing him and I did it, because he helped me too even without knowing it. He helped me to find the real me."

"And who is the real you?" North sounded alert but remained calm, "Who is JökullFrosti?"

A small laugh escaped Jökull's lips.

"I don't really know. Not yet. The Norns haven't told me everything. I need to find the answers myself."  
  
At that Norths eyes went big with wonder.

  
"Norns? Could it be..?", he trailed off and walked really fast out of the room, "Stay here with him!"

Toothiana went over to Pitch again and looked down at him with worry.

"What happened to him?", Jökull asked.

Toothiana sighed and Bunny began to speak:  
  
"We all were somebody before we became what we are now. Even Pitch."

He had calmed down a bit and Jökull wanted to ask more questions but North came back with a heavy looking book in his arms.

He laid it on his desk and began searching until he happily said:  
  
"Ah, here it is."  
  
He had everyone's attention and continued:

"The Norns are part of a very old civilization as old as Atlantis or Avalon. The Æsir, Vanir, Alben or Elf, Valkyrie, Dwarfs and Jötunns were also part of it. They say that there are as dead as Atlantis. Which means a few could still be alive. The Norns are female being who rule the destiny of gods and men."

Jökullwas stunned. That book knew more than he did.

"Hold on a second there, mate", Bunny said, "What do you mean when you say _gods_?"

"Well some of this beings were treated like gods from the humans because of their powers. Some of them very born to be similar to spirits nowadays", North explained and then asked Jökull, "You spoke to them?"

Just as he wanted to answer, Pitch began to wake up. Everybody was concerned, but for different reasons. Bunny and North were wary, Toothiana looked like she couldn't decide if she should worry or be wary too and Jökull was only worried. It was his fault that he might be suffering from the cold.

Golden eyes opened and looked confused. As he saw the guardians he tried to stand up and get away but his legs were still too weak.

"Whoa, easy there Pitch" Jökull went next to Toothiana who flinched away from Pitch.

"Care to explain what you did to me?", Pitch said arrogantly.

"I wish I could", Jökull answered him.

"I can", North spoke up, "The relicts fought the nightmare men away. They fled after Jack, I mean Jökull," he said unused to the name, but Jökull smiled a small smile at him, "tried to kill them with his ice. But the fled."  
  
Pitch looked confused for a second because of the name but a grim look replaced it.

"If we use different names for everybody now I would appreciate if you could call me Kozmotis from now on."

A heavy silence hung in the room.

Jökullwas confused. He thought about Bunnys words, that everybody was someone before they became what they are now. Who exactly had Pitch been?

North was the first to break the silence.   
  
"Well I guess we have much to do now. We have to find out about his connections to the Norns", he pointed at Jökull, "And find out what to do with you", he pointed at Kozmotis.

"Wait a second!", Jökull blurted, "Why do you need to find out about me? This is my affair and not yours. The moon has done enough damage!"

Even Kozmotiswas surprised by what he had said.

"What has the moon done to you... Jökull?"

Jökull began to pace through the room. He couldn't hold still or else he would go insane. He just knew that.

  
"The moon has taken my memories. He took me away from my real destiny! And he used you to give me false memories so I would work for him a bit longer. You know", he paused his walking and looked Kozmotis directly into his eyes, " I should be grateful that you broke my staff. That way he lost the ability to suppress my powers. But what were you thinking when you tossed my down that chasm? Did you want me to die down there? Come back and finish me off later?"

The guardians were silent and Kozmotis simply stared back at Jökull until he began to laugh.

"What's so funny?", Jökull asked still mad.

"It's funny that the man in the moon is so stupid. He tricked you and expected me to work along."  
  
"You knew about that?"

"No I didn't and that's what's so funny. I didn't knew it and hindered his plans nonetheless."

Jökull smiled against his will. Kozmotis was right. If you looked at it from his perspective it was rather amusing.

"Why do you hate him so much?", he asked feeling a bit better.

"It's a very long story."  
"I have time." 

"No you don't", said Bunny and hopped between them, "We need to figure out what to do with Pitch now!"

"I told you to not call me like that", Kozmotis hissed.

"I don't care", Bunny replied, "You need to be imprisoned."

Kozmotis sighed: "There isn't a single nightmare man left. You know that I am the only one who can capture them again."

"Again?", Jökull was confused.

"I am not Pitch Black. I am General Kozmotis Pitchiner."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to know more stuff visit www.snowflakes-and-a-butterfly.tumblr.com


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to my beta SherlocksDoctor (now also on ao3, go check her out)
> 
> I kinda fear that Jack/Jökull could be OOC, but I think he could act like that in such a situation. Pls let me know if it gets too OOC > . 

He felt a stinging pain in his back as Tooth treated the claw marks that the nightmare man had left. They were in the infirmary of the workshop, a white room with four large beds - for the Yetis - and a few smaller ones - likely for the elves. Jökull was sitting shirtless on one of the bigger ones, Tooth behind him. He had seen how she had prepared a needle. He felt very nervous but Tooth was skilled and worked as fast as possible.

She finished a few minutes later and they sat in silence. Jökull was looking everywhere but her. He felt so confused after all that had happened. The only things he knew for sure was that the Norns were right about the staff, he still trusted Mother Nature no matter what, and that Pitch was different now. Kozmotis. It wasn't the whole name thing and he acted like before, but now it seemed to be less dark.

His mind ran wild as he tried to search for words to describe Kozmotis. It got interrupted by Toothiana who stood up, took his hand, and led him in front of a big mirror. He briefly wondered how he couldn't have seen it when he first entered the room, but he instantly forgot about that once he saw his reflection.

They had been right, he really looked different. He could still recognize himself, but he looked like the man he had seen in the water reflection back at the meeting with the Norns: In his twenties, slightly longer hair and pointed ears. His chest appeared to be a bit more muscular than before and his shorts were still a bit too tight. He had to do something about that...

He turned around and looked over his shoulder. His back looked terrible: Three long claw marks started from his left shoulder blade and went on towards his lowest right rip. The skin around them looked ragged and gleamed in an aggressive red. Tooth had done a good job patching him up and a thin layer of ice eased the pain. He hadn't been aware that he did something like that. It seemed that his powers worked more subconsciously now.

Jökull sighed. There was so much he didn't know. And he didn't know who he should ask. The best he had was North's book, but he didn't know if he should just ask. Now that the Boogeyman was defeated they didn't need him as a guardian anymore. So why should they help him? Or could he even trust them, after all they worked for the moon?

He also felt the strange urge to help Kozmotis. He promised Mother Nature that he wouldn't get killed by the guardians.

"What will you do with Kozmotis now?" he looked Toothiana straight into her orchid eyes.

She looked away guilty.

"I don't know. We will have to decide all together. But I am not sure what the outcome will be. Bunny will want to see him imprisoned or even dead and I don't know what North will do."

"What did he do to Bunny?" He only dared to whisper the question knowing it had to be a touchy subject.

Tooth sat down again and began to explain in a sad voice: "Like I said before, we all were someone before we became guardians. Bunny is a Pooka, an ancient alien race. They were capable of the most stunning things. Bunny is the last one. All the Pookas were killed by the Nightmare King long before we became guardians."

She fell silent and Jökull didn't dare to disturb the silence. From outside the door the Yetis and Elves could be heard and he just felt lost. He was a neutral party before this and he was even now. The only reasons he went with the guardians had been his memories. He would go his own ways again, but first he wanted to help Kozmotis for the sake of Mother Nature.

"He said that he was the only one who could defeat the shadows again. They fled his lair and who knows what they will do. You need him to stop them."

"If they don't hurt the children than it isn't our job", Tooth simply stated and looked at him like it would be obvious.

"You can't be serious! If people get hurt..."

He couldn't finish his sentence because North chose this moment to enter the room, leading a rather pissed looking Kozmotis.

"Ah, Tooth you are here. Is very good. Could you tend his wounds too? We can't let him die on us, yet.", he said his Russian accent showing a bit.

Yet - that simple word instilled hope and fear at the same time in Jökull. Hope because North must think that they still need him and fear if they found that he wasn't any use.

"Of course", Tooth sounded like a mother again.

Jökull was glad that he could trust her a little bit more than the others. She was the only one who seemed to understand him. She had shown her guilt rather obvious, after she realized that he had saved Baby Tooth. She had to see the changes in the Boogeyman too.

As he looked at Kozmotis he felt guilt rise in himself too. He was shirtless like himself and was clattered in cuts and claw marks that his frost had covered up - it had turned his skin frost bitten. His skin was almost as light as his now - probably because of blood loss - and it was sickly red and purple turning black at a few places thanks to him. He really had less control about his own powers now.

"Sorry", he mumbled, "about the frost bite. I didn't mean for this to happen."

Kozmotis looked up at him and then in the mirror behind Jökull where he could see the claw marks at his back.

"It is alright. I probably would have bled to death without it. And a little magic should heal this.", he paused for a few seconds, "Sadly I am not sure about the wounds caused by the Nightmare Men. They may leave scars. For both of us."

Through his little speech his annoyance seemed to ease up and Jökull got the feeling that Kozmotis cared about him. He had to smile at that thought. It was nice being cared for if you were alone a long time. The only other being caring - at least what he could remember - had been Mother Nature.

"It's ok. I need new clothes though. Bigger pants would be great too" He looked at North during the last part.

The man turned from fierce into jolly in a split second. All laughing and sparkling eyes, it was rather terrifying to watch.

"Of course, Jökull! You want the same as before? Or new design? I could make you something like the legends are telling your kind wears!"

The man didn't even need an answer, he just rushed out and left him - shirtless. It was a good thing that he couldn't feel cold at a place like the North Pole.

Jökull sat down on the bed across from Kozmotis and Toothiana and watched them silently. After Tooth finished with the needle she treated the frost bite with a greenish ointment, her brows frowning.

"This isn't working like it should."

Jökull stood up and took a closer look at Kozmotis' face. The frost bite was less visible by now but still there. He knew nothing about magical ointments so he said nothing.

"I suppose it is because the magic that caused the injury was stronger than this", Kozmotis said and looked at Jökull with wonder in his eyes.

"I'll take it as a compliment. I think", Jökull joked.

For a second he thought he could see a small smile on the injured man but it was gone all of a sudden.

"You two will need clothes. Who knows how long it will take North to make you some", Tooth muttered and left the room without a glance at them. Jökull could see two Yetis guarding the door.

"They think I will run away, don't they?" He whispered.

"Do you want to?" Kozmotis asked, interested.

Jökull looked at him. He had the same face as the Boogeyman, the same eyes and the same hair. Yet his expression was sincere. It looked a bit funny to see the former Boogeyman wear nothing but black sweatpants. Where did he even get those?

"I think I might. I want to know about my past and I can't find it here. What about you?"

He could tell that the man was surprised, maybe didn't understand what he wanted to say so he explained himself.

"Do you want to stay here where everyone treats you like a villain?"

"What else should I do?"

Kozmotis looked so broken that Jökull couldn't imagine him as evil. He remembered Tooth's words.

"If the children aren't in danger, than the guardians don't help. Don't get me wrong, I care about children, but what if the shadows go after adults? Would they do this?"

"They did."

His eyes told a story that was ancient and gloomy. He didn't dare to ask about it.

Jökull wanted to lighten up the mood in the best way he could – joking.

"Why don't you come with me? You want to get the shadows, right? Fight them and all."

Kozmotis nodded puzzled. Before Jökull noticed it his joke turned serious:

"I want to look for my family and you can look for them."

They just stared at each other. After what seemed like hours Kozmotis said:  
  
"They won't let me go. And you neither. They think we might work together."

Now it was his time to look puzzled, but he listened as he continued talking.  
  
"They were asking me about you. If I tricked you into believing that the moon is evil. If I put you under a spell. I wonder myself what happened to you. You don't act any different, but yet I can feel that something changed. I don't mean how you look... I cannot really put a finger on it."

Jökull smiled.  
  
"I feel the same about you. And if they won't let us go, we will just bust out."  
  
"You really mean it, don't you?"

If he did something like that he could be a bit more mischievous too.

"Yes, but I need to borrow one of Norths books before we go."  
  
"And by _borrow_ doyou mean _steal_?" Kozmotis raised a single eyebrow – did the Boogeyman even had eyebrows?

"I honestly don't believe that they will give it to me if I asked them", Jökull muttered.

Kozmotis thought about it for a few minutes.

"It would be best to bust out in two nights. It's going to be a new moon."

"Now we really work together" Jökull laughed and this time he was sure about the smile on Kozmotis' face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://snowflakes-and-a-butterfly.tumblr.com/
> 
> I think I will start to do more stuff on tumblr too, like drawing again for the ff or such things ^^


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Could it be the beginning of a wonderful friendship?
> 
> look who's back. YEAH it's me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry it took me this long. Real life sucks. Big time
> 
> This chapter is kinda short, but I still wanted to post it.

They waited for two nights.

North had made them new clothes, though Jökull's clothes looked a lot like his old ones: He got a blue hoodie and brown pants. The hoodie had a complicated embroidery of white snowflakes. The hem of the hood was lined with white fur, ermine, North had said. It was soft and tickled his face a bit. He liked it. His pants looked like his old ones, but were longer, going down to his ankles. Leather straps were attached to it like on his old ones.  
North had outdone himself with Kozmotis' clothes. He looked like a General from a children's book. The cloth was black and golden and looked like satin. He looked royal.  
It suited him, but Jökull was happy that his clothing didn't look like that. He felt more like himself with the style he had worn during the last 300 years – his pants at least.

They were left alone for most of the time, but whenever they looked around a corner there was one of the Yetis watching them. Kozmotis and Jökull talked a lot during those last two days. It was difficult at first because there wasn't much to talk about. Jökull couldn't remember his life before the 300 years of loneliness and Kozmotis had a black out from most of the things the nightmare men did while controlling his body. So they talked about what they could; mostly nonsense. In the beginning, Jökull made fun of the Yetis and Bunnymund, and Kozmotis would make rather cynical comments. From time to time he laughed a bit at Jökull's antics.

On the second day they talked about more personal things. Jökull told Kozmotis what he did those 300 years. He told him how he tried to get in contact with other spirits and how it went wrong. The best example had been Bunnymund. He had been – and still is – so angry at the snowstorm from '68, he didn't even listen to him. Kozmotis was surprisingly insightful: He told him that Jökull wasn't the one to be blamed as those ice powers are what made him who he is.

Kozmotis was the first to tell him that something hadn't been his fault. It made Jökull feel accepted and welcomed.

The trust Jökull had shown Kozmotis was returned by said General. He told him how he had felt during the last millenniums. He didn't remember much, But he remembered how it felt to have thousands of voices inside his head. All of them wanted the same thing: To conquer. But they didn't want it in the same way. So the nightmare men fought against each other in the first years inside his head. His own mind was weak. Enfeebled by the trick they had played on him to get out of their cages. He couldn't remember what exactly it was and it made him feel uneasy. Jökull tried to be helpful too, but as he told him that it all would come back it felt like lying – after all he couldn't remember much either after 300 years. He knew that Kozmotis saw right through him, but was glad that he didn't say a thing.

It was easy to talk to him. And it was even easier to plot with him.

They had the perfect plan to get the book and escape. Jökull felt a bit uneasy about stealing the book, but in those two days he saw that North didn't plan to tell him more. They didn't know that Kozmotis and he wanted to escape, they acted like both of them should just stay at the Workshop. Nobody had talked to them about their future.

Now Jökull sat next to Kozmotis on a couch waiting for the perfect time set their plan into action.

It was evening and the Yetis that had guarded them the last hours were gone to meet with the others for dinner. Only two elves stayed behind. This part would be easy.  
Jökull froze them over with a small gesture of his hand and they fell soundless on the carpet.  
Kozmotis stood up and walked to the door to look outside. After a few moments signalled for Jökull to follow him.  
The next part was to snatch the book from the library of the Workshop.

 

They snuck through the hallway for a few minutes, but it felt like hours for Jökull.  
When they finally saw the heavy wooden door, which was adorned with owls holding books, a voice from behind suddenly spoke up:

"I believe you are searching for this?"

Jökull and Kozmotis whirled around and faced a stern looking Toothiana with the book in question in her hands.  
A second later her face lit up with a small smile as she handed the flustered looking Jökull the big leather bound book.

"Here, take it."

"But, why?" Jökull asked confused.

"You saved her."

Baby Tooth, who was hidden behind Toothianas back the whole time, flew up to his face and pecked his cheek with a small kiss and cuddled into the fur of his hood.

"She wants to go with you."

Toothiana looked sad and happy at the same time.  
Kozmotis, who had been silently watching them, spoke up:

"Who says that we are going anywhere?"

Toothiana sighed.

"How stupid do I look? No don't answer that.", she held up a single hand,  
"I will let you go. I don't agree with what the others want to do to you two, but I can't actively help you. I want you to find your past Jökull", she took his hand that wasn't holding the book in her own,

"And find the family you deserve. And Kozmotis," she looked him dead in the eye,  
"You and I both know that our past hasn't been bright, but I think you deserve a second chance. But if Jökull gets hurt on your watch, I will hunt you down and punch out a few of your teeth."

She looked like a dangerous mother bear and Jökull thought that he heard Kozmotis gulp audible.  
Toothiana hugged him and whispered:

"Look after my little Baby Tooth. She will tell me when you are in any danger."

Baby Tooth chirped in agreement and Toothiana flew off after one last look at Pitch.

"That was… weird. But kinda helpful", Jökull said to Kozmotis.

"We should keep going. The Yetis won't eat all night."

"Well I'm not so sure about that" Jökull joked thinking of Phil.

 

Jökull led them to the stable of North's reindeers.

"Are you sure you want to do it that way?" Jökull asked carefully.

"We talked about it, didn't we? As long as you don't want to kidnap one of his animals it's the only way", Kozmotis reasoned.

"Yeah, I know" he muttered.

He thought about all the ways that this could go wrong. He knew that he could fly without the staff, but he had never taken another person with him. And for sure non as tall as Kozmotis. They could just crash somewhere and get really hurt. Who knows if he can die. He isn't really a spirit and he can't think of himself a god. In a way he wished he still had his staff. After 300 years of carrying it around he felt naked without it.

A cold breath of air caressed his cheek and he smiled.

"My father can take both of us."

Kozmotis looked puzzled and raised one of his eyebrows.

"The wind" Jökull clarified, "Don't even ask me how this is possible. I'm not that sure myself."

"Jökull, if I learned anything in my long life, than that nothing is impossible. There is a spaceship orbiting earth and the humans simply call it the moon. There is so much out there that you can't think of, if you never left this planet. The wind being a father doesn't sound that strange to me. Not all beings require a solid body."

He just stared at Kozmotis for a few seconds. Long enough for Baby Tooth to chirp as some of the reindeers nervously stomped their hooves. The voices of a few Yetis sounded from the inside.

"Crap."

Jökull took the last steps that separated him from Kozmotis and hugged him close.

"Hold on, both of you" he said to Baby Tooth and Kozmotis. To the wind he said: "Take us somewhere safe."

The wind lifted the three of them and took them through the tunnel following the path North had built with all the loopings. Jökull and Baby Tooth laughed while Kozmotis looked a bit terrified and if he held onto him a little bit more than necessary Jökull wouldn't tell him. Instead he just smiled genuinely at him.

**Author's Note:**

> ENGLISH ISN'T MY MOTHER TONGUE. If you find mistakes pls tell me it would help me very much :)
> 
> http://snowflakes-and-a-butterfly.tumblr.com/


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